The Labor enquirer., 1887-12-31
WOMAN'S COLUMN.
v.,..a - nr.. A. L. w.sAs.r.:
Cooperative Exchange.

.ustain the movement toward bet
%, social conditions. In further
,ucc of this object ! have thought
mnch on the cooperative ex-
cbang:ofthe products of our labor
as powerful mean sof alleviating
abard times" AS we are now
convinced, "hard times" are
caused by the hign price Of
money. AS moneyed men do
the legislating either personally,
,s in the United States Senate, or
by proxy, as in all the state legis-
latures to a greater or less extent,
il is useless to expect relief
through the ballot until we be-
come independentof money We
know that the low wages of the
workmen and the low price of
farm products are often attributed
to the scarcity ofmoney. Money
is not scarce. but dear, because
those who obtain control of the
currency by means well known to
thinkers, hold il at their own price.
By raising the price of money
they depress the value of all that
must be exchanged for money
that is, the products of labor either
of hand or brain. If we were suffi-
GENTLY combined or organized
and would be faithful to each
other we should raise the price of
everything which money buys and
hold it until money and labor
we're equalized. But the products
of labor are often perishable and
exchange must be had for our
daily necessities. Sisters, what if
we should boycott" money!
Impossible, do you saya Not at
all. Perhaps some of you remem-
ber my experiment in the practic-
ability of this idea two years ago,
when | opened the "JKoman's Co
0p1ahve Exchange" temporarily
at SI3 Stout street, Denver.
am often asked about its sue
cess and find that many people
suppose that the "Woman's Ex-
change" now in operation in Den
yer by the Woman's Christian
temperance union is the same.
1t is not, nor is that institution an
exchange in any sense more
than any store where we buy
goods and pay the money. al
though such so-called exchanges
which are now established in many
Of the large cities of the East do
much good in providing a home
market for women's work in many
departments; such, especially, as
needle work and cookery. | re-
grct to admit that as far as can
learn no one else has attempted to
establish a cooperative exchange
on a business basis; and, so far as
know. the practical methods de-
ter those who declare it "splen-
did idea
found no one who would un-
dcrtake the management of the
exchange and as ! had already
given it two weeks more than the
three months ! had promised my
self to give to the idea almost
Wholly at my own expense. (that
others might not be involved if it
tailed) was obliged to wind
it up for the present as my duty
called me home to the farm. My
husband was not well and after
my return home became weaker
and weaker and required my whole
thought and care, and after three
months and a half, notwithstand-
ng the ttnderest nursing. death
claimed him and he quietly and
checrfully passed on to the spirit
realm.
Thus, until now, | have done
ai,Ie for, the plan which | have
never abandoned, but as soon as
possible mean to issue in pamphlet
form a full explanation of the
methods for conducting such Co
'peratiyc Exchanges" so far as !
mad worked them out> and hope